Interview with the Original
by TheElejahDiaries
Summary: Elijah Mikaelson, a centuries-old vampire, has agreed to meet with journalist Shiloh Lynn. Elijah regales his life to Shiloh, showing her more of himself than he's shown in decades. He tells her of his family, his regrets, his happiness, and, most importantly his true love. Full Summary Inside!
1. Chapter 1

**Interview with the Original **(AU)

**Character Swaps:**

Elijah Mikaelson as Louis de Pointe du Lac

Shiloh Lynn (OC) as Daniel Malloy

Klaus as Lestat de Lioncourt

Elena Gilbert as Claudia

Slater as Armand

Rose-Marie as Santiago

**Summary:**

The year is 2096 and Elijah Mikaelson, a millenia-old vampire, has agreed to meet with journalist Shiloh Lynn. She is astounded to find out that not only is Elijah telling the truth about himself, but that vampires do, indeed, exist. Elijah regales his life to Shiloh, showing her more of himself than he's shown in decades. He tells her of his family, his regrets, his happiness, and, most importantly, his true love.

Elijah explains to Shiloh the complicated relationship between himself and his creator, Klaus. Klaus is even older than Elijah and has power which Elijah has never hoped to rival. Elena, the love of Elijah's life, proves to be a difficult topic, but with encouragement and compassion, Elijah eventually reveals, in detail, their relationship and how he came to resent Klaus.

**Rating: **T

**A/N: **I suggest at least having seen _Interview with the Vampire _for some sort of background, but it shouldn't be necessary. I got this idea in the middle of the night and I couldn't wait to start putting it together. Reviews are _immensely _appreciated and I hope you all enjoy!

**P.S.**

The story is AU in that Klaus and Elijah are not related and Klaus sired Elijah. The doppelgängers still exist, but they do not play the role they do in the show. Their existence is that of chance. Slater and Rose are still their characters, but they've not been so involved in the story as with the show. I loved the idea of using Slater as I haven't seen many fanfics with him, and I liked him for the (unfortunately) short amount of time he was on TVD.

**Disclaimer:**

I do not claim to own either _The Vampire Diaries _or _Interview with the Vampire, _book or movie. Wish I did, but, alas! Earwax! (Harry Potter reference. Don't think I'm crazier than I really am!)

_Chapter 1_

The room was dimly lit, the overhead lamp throwing just enough light on the table for Shiloh to set her equipment up. She had to be honest – she was totally nervous. This was her first real article as a journalist and the guy she was interviewing sounded like a complete headcase. Over the phone, he'd spouted babble about vampires and witches and frankly he freaked her out. But a job was a job and beggars couldn't be choosers, so she took the interview willingly, bringing along with her an old tape recorder and plenty of extra tape. The way the guy explained his story to her, it sounded like he could go on for days, so she brought what she believed to be more than enough tape.

He stood on the far side of the room, gazing out the large bay window that overlooked the bustling, nighttime, London street. He was completely still and unnervingly silent, and from what little of his reflection Shiloh could see, he barely blinked. He broke out of his reverie when Shiloh finished and sat at the table rather awkwardly, unsure if it was all right with him if she seated herself.

"Thank you for coming, Miss Lynn," he said in a quiet, musing tone. "Most humans wouldn't give me the time of day, let alone sit down for an interview."

"It's my pleasure, Mr. Mikaelson." Her strong southern drawl felt out of place against his proper, British accent and she shifted in her seat. "Are you ready to begin?"

Slowly, Elijah approached the table and sat across from Shiloh. "I should ask you the same question, Miss Lynn."

"Please," she said, smiling hesitantly at him, "call me Shiloh. And whenever you feel like beginning, sir." She pressed the record button on her tape recorder and the faint whirring of the tape could be heard, breaking the stiff silence in the room.

"I know you don't believe me, Shiloh," said Elijah, the corner of his mouth twitching, "but I'm sure you will . . . in time. My story is not a pleasant one, nor is it the uplifting, fanciful sob-story you might be looking for. I know the type of stories those rags print nowadays, and I'd like to make it clear right now that everything I tell you from here on out is nothing but the truth. I've found in my many years on this earth that lying gets one nowhere in life, but I digress. Now, where to begin?"

Shiloh was completely silent during Elijah's lecture but she nodded as he spoke, making it clear that she understood. She still believed wholeheartedly that the man was off his rocker, but who was she to judge?

"Perhaps you might start with your claim to vampirism?" Shiloh suggested lightly.

"Shiloh, I needn't even speak to prove to you the fact that I am a vampire. Why, now I can even smell, can hear, the blood that pumps through your veins, that travels right there on your carotid artery, your jugular vein." His eyes moved up and down her neck and she felt her pulse quicken. "There's no need to be afraid. I've had millenia to control my urges, but if you are in need of more proof, then it's more proof you shall receive."

Shiloh watched in mingled fascination and horror as Elijah's eyes darkened and veins emerged from under his eyes, crawling down toward his cheekbones and slowly fading back underneath the skin. He opened his mouth in a sick grin to reveal two, large, razor-sharp fangs. As quickly as they had appeared, they were gone and Shiloh was left without a doubt in her mind that this man was telling her the honest truth.

"I believe you, Mr. Mikaelson," she said, her voice shaking involuntarily.

"Please, call me Elijah," he said, giving her a gracious smile. "So, first things first, I suppose." He cleared his throat and adjusted his perfectly straight tie. "I was born in England in 1340, when the Black Death was sweeping across Europe. My family was lucky enough to survive, but the same could not be said for our neighbors and our town. The country was in a state of panic and everyone was looking to the papacy for guidance. I have not believed in a god for some time now, but back then, the church was the greatest, most sought-after source of guidance there was.

"Meanwhile, in Avignon, the pope had barricaded himself in his castle, surrounding himself with fires in hopes of keeping away disease. His personal physician, who is a well-known man now, Guy de Chauliac dedicated his life's work to finding a cure for the wretched disease. For his time, he made extraordinary medical discoveries. To this day, experts are not completely positive of what the Black Death was. Some say bubonic plague, others say some sort of flu, but who will ever really know?

"By the time I was fifteen, my father had fallen ill with, what I believe to be now, cancer. He died when I was sixteen years old, and I, being the eldest child, became the man of the house and was expected to provide for my family. I went to work in the farmlands near my home, plowing fields, planting and gathering crops – the mundane sort of labor machines do for us now. For the fifteen hours a day that I worked, I took real pride in myself, believing that I was doing right by helping my family, by providing for my four younger silbings and my mother. She worked as a seamstress and business was fairly decent, but it wasn't nearly enough to live on, so I took on all the work I could, and by the time I reached twenty, I was incredibly overworked. I felt like I would never be fully rested, that I would be forever exhausted. That was until Tatia Petrova and her family moved to my town."


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

"Tatia Petrova," said Shiloh quietly when Elijah went silent, lost in his own thoughts. "You say her name with a sort of reverence, but you look unhappy, jaded."

Elijah hung his head and gave something reminiscent of a chuckle. "Tatia Petrova took everything from me. She took my family, my love, my devotion, and she cast it aside like it was a worthless piece of trash." He lifted his head, his impassive exterior returned.

Shiloh, slightly disconcerted by Elijah's willingness to be completely honest and bare his soul to a completely stranger, cleared her throat. "Why don't you tell me about her?"

* * *

_Elijah stuck the end of his shovel into the dirt and rested his foot on the blade. He let out a long, appreciative whistle._

_ "Who is that?" he asked his friend, Trevor, who'd been working alongside him all day._

_ "Ah," chuckled Trevor, following Elijah's gaze. "_That _is Tatia Petrova. She moved here with her father from two villages over. Her mother and two younger brothers died and apparently Mr. Petrova couldn't stand being in the same house, let alone the same town where his family passed. I've heard many things about Tatia, Elijah, and none of them are good. Please stay away from her."_

_ "Please," laughed Elijah, "I've got my priorities, Trevor. Family above all." Elijah trailed off as he watched the lithe, brown-haired maiden glide across the field toward her new home, her father hurrying behind her with their wagon. "What exactly have you heard?"_

_ "My cousin lived in her village and there were rumors that she had a child out of wedlock. None of it's been proven, but everyone seems to know about it there. That's the story that gets brought up when the town in slow on gossip, and no one seems to ever tire of it. Part of me wonders if that isn't partly why they left." Trevor shook his head and resumed his work fertilizing the dirt around them. _

_ Elijah joined him, but his thoughts were far from his work. They were still with the young woman entering the small cottage across the field. His mind replayed the scene just played out before him, watching the small billowing of her green dress as she walked, the hem hanging just inches from the ground. She carried herself with dignity and showed just the perfect amount of skin – not enough to be considered a strumpet, but just enough that certain parts of her body weren't left to the imagination._

* * *

"Later that evening," said Elijah after Shiloh finished changing out the tape in the recorder, "I cleaned myself up, putting extra effort into my grooming so I looked presentable for a young woman such as Tatia. My mother gave me a loaf of bread and told me to go to the Petrovas' home and introduce myself. At the time, I thought she just wanted to make a good impression, not wanting to appear to be the lowly, poor widow she was, but now I feel certain she wanted to marry me off. It was no secret that the Petrovas had money and were far more wealthy than anyone in my town, and I believe the temptation must have been too great for my mother to ignore. She checked and double-checked my clothes and my hair, fussing over me like she had when I was a child.

"With her wishes of good luck and pride in me, I walked the short distance to Tatia's home and knocked on her door. She answered and gave me a small smile, looking me up and down from head to toe. For a short instant, I felt as if I were being critiqued, being stored in some sort of internal file inside her mind for later use, but her quizzical look disappeared before I could truly process it. She gestured for me to come inside. Their home was modest for the amount of money they had, but it was better than anything I could have hoped for my family."

* * *

_ "My name is Elijah Mikaelson. I live just down the road," he said, handing Tatia the loaf of bread his mother had so carefully wrapped. _

_ Tatia took the bread and left the room, setting the loaf of bread on the kitchen table as she went. Elijah heard her soft voice from the other room._

_ "Father, we have a visitor," she said, returning to the room where she'd left Elijah. "Father, this is Elijah Mikaelson, Elijah, this is my father Petrus."_

_ Elijah offered his hand and Petrus took it, his hold on it firm and not altogether comforting. _

_ "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Mikaelson. You're the first to wish us welcome," Petrus said simply, giving Elijah a warm smile. Something about the smile disconcerted Elijah slightly, and he realized what it was. It didn't travel to his eyes. They were such a dark brown that they looked almost black, and they contained no light. Elijah thought this a product of having his children and wife die, so he couldn't blame the man. He seemed to mean well at the very least._

_ "It's not often we see new faces around here, Mr. Petrova, so it's my pleasure to welcome you to town. You and your enchanting daughter," added Elijah, shooting a glance toward Tatia. She smiled at him, and Elijah was pleased to see that her eyes were aglow with happiness and excitement. Elijah cleared his throat. "I was wondering, Mr. Petrova, if you'd be so kind as to allow me to show Tatia the town tonight."_

_ Petrus looked from Tatia to Elijah and back, and Elijah could almost hear him weighing the options in his head. Let his daughter go off with a near stranger or keep her cooped up at home? He sighed and conceded. "Back no later than dark, Mr. Mikaelson. Keep her safe – she's all I have left."_

_ Elijah nodded and gave Petrus a small bow. "I shall guard her with my life, sir." He held out his arm for Tatia and she entwined hers through it. She shot her father a quick glance over her shoulder as Elijah escorted her out of the house, sending him a silent 'thank-you'. _

_ Elijah led Tatia down the street, the sun glowing like a bright, orange ball just above the horizon. He took her to his favorite spot. It was just far enough away from the road that he couldn't hear the hustle and bustle of the town, but close enough that he could watch from up on the hill and see all the townspeople going about their business. He leaned up against the large willow tree that had been there for as long as he could remember as Tatia stood in the middle of the hill's summit, watching the sun slowly descend. _

_ "How long have you lived here, Elijah?" she asked suddenly, her voice soft and sweet._

_ "I've been here my whole life. I've never known anything different, but I love it here. What's your old village like?"_

_ Tatia turned and smiled at him, the sunset's light streaming through her hair and silhouetting her against it. Elijah was rendered speechless by her beauty as her dress fluttered around her ankles in the cool spring breeze._

_ "It's quite like yours, actually. Just different people. Quite cruel people." She said nothing further as she turned back to watch the sunset. Elijah found himself unable to hold back the urge to touch her, so he left his post by the tree and came to stand behind her, keeping just enough distance between them that he wasn't touching her, but he knew she could feel his breath on her neck. She leaned back surreptitiously, and Elijah's arms enclosed around her. _

_ "The sunset is beautiful from here," she murmured._

_ "I see no sunset," said Elijah, equally as quiet. "I have eyes only for you."_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **This chapter ended up being a lot longer than I intended, but, oh well! Please review!

* * *

_Chapter 3_

"Tatia and I carried on like that for months. We were forced to hide our love, for fear that Petrus would not approve. It was obvious that Petrus loved his daughter and that he'd do anything for her, but he could be extraordinarily over-protective and, at times, cruel. Had he caught wind of my relationship with Tatia, there's no doubt in my mind that he would have burned down every building in the town to find me. Luckily for me, Petrus never had a chance to find out Tatia and me because that's when Klaus came to town."

"Klaus? Who's Klaus?" asked Shiloh, unconsciously leaning forward on the table, engrossed in Elijah's tale.

"Klaus is the vampire that turned me."

* * *

_"Oh, Elijah, please get better soon. We can't get on without you," murmured Elijah's mother tearfully as she dabbed at his forehead with a piece of cloth. _

_ Esther's worst fears were coming true. Elijah had caught the same disease that had killed his father and if he died, their family would be doomed with no one to take care of them. Elijah had been unconscious for several hours and he was sweating profusely. _

_ "Henrik, fetch the doctor," called Esther and Henrik emerged from the next room and pulled on his shoes. _

_ As he headed for the door, he hesitated and turned back to face Esther and Elijah. "Mum?"_

_ "What is it, Henrik?" said Esther impatiently, still patting Elijah's forehead._

_ "Is Elijah going to die?"_

_ Esther ceased movement and took a breath to steel herself. "I don't know, dear. I don't know."_

* * *

"When Henrik came back from town, he didn't return with the regular doctor. Instead, he brought with him a new, young man that was apparently a replacement. I would later find out that Klaus had killed the doctor for something to do. He cleared out my family, telling them the disease was highly contagious – which it was – but all he wanted to do was steal me away and drain me.

"When I woke up several days later, I was incredibly weak, but not yet a vampire. I was still dying, as Klaus hadn't fed me any of his blood."

* * *

_"What . . . what's happening to me?" Elijah gasped, barely able to lift his head off the pillows surrounding him._

_ "You're dying," Klaus said simply, watching Klaus with a sick fascination._

_ "What . . .?"_

_ "You. Are. Dying. But, if you are so adverse to the idea, I would be more than willing to help you."_

_ Elijah swallowed and nodded minutely. Klaus swooped down beside him, fangs protruding, __and bit his wrist and pressed it to Elijah's mouth. He didn't even have time to register surprise at Klaus's nature before he was overtaken by the sweet taste of his blood. When Klaus finally pulled his wrist away, Elijah had entered some sort of stupor, a trance._

_ "Am I better?" he asked._

_ Klaus let out a chuckle. "No, you're not better." He placed his hands on either side of Elijah's head and twisted, snapping Elijah's neck. "Now you are!" He threw Elijah's legs aside and sat at the edge of the bed, thoroughly delighted with himself._

* * *

"This time, when I awoke, Klaus was still seated at the edge of my bed, but I felt entirely different. I felt stronger, more capable, but there was still some sort of fog in my mind and I couldn't think clearly. Klaus didn't even look at me until I spoke. I sat up in bed and shook my head, trying to clear it, but none of the tension was relieved.

"'What happened?' I asked and his head turned to look at me, a cheeky smile prominent on his face."

* * *

_"Well, let's review," said Klaus, still smirking, obviously pleased with himself. "Your brother, Henry, or what have you, came to fetch the doctor because you were on your deathbed. Well, unluckily for Henry, I had just killed the doctor – I _was _hungry, after all," he said in reaction to the terrified expression on Elijah's face. "So, I accompanied your brother back to your home, where your mother so graciously invited me in. I asked them to leave because your disease was incredibly contagious, and they did so willingly. When they left, I took you back here, to my home. Speaking of which, what do you think of the curtains. I was hoping they didn't clash with the bedspread . . ."_

_ "What the hell are you talking about?" Elijah spat as he stared incredulously at Klaus._

_ "Sorry," he chuckled, "I tend to go off on unrelated tangents on occasion." He winked confidentially at Elijah. _

_ "What's wrong with me? I feel . . . different. Better, but different. What did you do to me?"_

_ "I turned you. Er, well, you're in the process of being transitioned."_

_ "Transitioned into what?"_

_ "A vampire."_

_ Elijah laughed openly. "A vampire? Please, spare me!"_

_ Klaus's delighted expression slid off his face and was quickly replaced by one of anger. "You know, you shouldn't laugh. It's quite rude. If you do not drink human blood in the next few hours, you _will _die."_

_ Elijah's laughter ceased when he realized Klaus was being entirely serious. He gulped. "I'm really a vampire?"_

_ "Not yet. You know, I thought you were smarter, but you're really quite slow."_

_ "So, if I don't drink, I'll die? I can't just _stay _human?" _

_ "It doesn't work like that. I saved you, Elijah. Don't turn down the gift I've given you. I've given you the gift of immortality, of eternity! I would expect a word or two of thanks!"_

_ Elijah sighed, thinking hard. Die or live forever? Living forever sounded like a pretty good deal. "Fine, I'll complete the transformation. Who can I drink from?"_

_ Klaus clapped his hands and a beautiful, young woman entered the room. "Hello, love," he smiled, beckoning her over when she showed a slight reluctance. "No need to fear. This is my friend, Elijah, and he would appreciate it if you offered him your wrist."_

_ The girl whimpered and struggled, trying to free herself from Klaus's grasp. He grabbed her chin and their eyes met. "You will let Elijah feed on you and you will not struggle. Do you understand?"_

_ "I understand."_

* * *

"Her blood was ambrosial. Never in my life had I tasted anything that filled me completely, but still made me yearn for more. That was the beginning of my eternal bloodlust."

"But you said you've learned to control it . . .?" Shiloh asked curiously.

"Oh, yes. It gets easier the longer one lives. I've had centuries to learn to control my bloodlust to the point where I needn't feed more than a few times per month."

"That's . . . incredible. I mean, my perspective on vampires up until today was that they were victims of their bloodlust, that they were unable to control themselves. Every piece of vampire fiction – well, I guess it's not really fiction, is it? – tells us that vampires are to be feared and that they're evil creatures."

"Don't be misled by me, Shiloh. I may be one of the good ones, but not only have _I _done things to warrant such a label, there are many others out there who are the definition of evil itself. There are some who struggle every day with their nature, there are some who choose the high road, and there are others still who complete shut out their human emotions and give themselves over to darkness."

"Which one are you?"

"I'll let you decide for yourself when my story's finished," said Elijah, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

Shiloh nodded. "Whatever became of Tatia? You haven't told me how she took everything from you."

Elijah let out a spiteful chuckle. "Ah, one of the many reasons I resent Klaus to this day. Just one of a list of things that he's done to wrong me for no other reason than boredom.

"Shortly after I was turned, I went to visit Tatia at her home. I knew her father was out, as I'd been watching their house all night and saw him leave."

"All night? You mean, you can't go out in the daylight?" Shiloh asked. "There are so many different _versions, _shall we say, of vampires that it's hard to know what to believe."

"I can now, with the help of this ring." He held out his hand and Shiloh saw the silver band around his finger, a small blue stone set in it. "It's lapis lazuli that's been spelled by a witch. Not many vampires have them, but I was lucky enough that Klaus had many witch acquaintances. He didn't want to be limited by my inability to travel by day, so he had one made for me soon after I turned. But I didn't have it when I went to Tatia. After Petrus left, I hurried to her door, and she opened it and pulled me inside."

* * *

_"Elijah, where have you been? Your family's been sick with worry! I thought you were dead!" cried Tatia, her fingers touching every available inch of Elijah's face, recommitting him to memory. _

_ "Ssh," whispered Elijah, kissing Tatia's lips passionately. "I missed you, my love." _

_ "Where were you?" she breathed, her voice ragged._

_ "I had to go away for a few days, but I'm completely healed, Tatia. We can be together again. In those few days, I realized how much I love you."_

_ "Oh, Elijah," she gasped and kissed him with renewed fervor. "Don't ever leave me again."_

_ "I won't, Tatia. You're the only one for me."_

* * *

"I spent the rest of the night with Tatia, until Petrus returned, and then I stole away into the night, returning to Klaus's home just before dawn. When I woke, he presented me with my ring and another world of opportunity was opened to me. Klaus made sure to make clear to me that the world was mine for the taking, that humans were nothing and that we were gods of the darkness. I was skeptical to believe him. His view of the world was so entitled, so self-centered, and I was completely opposite. For most of my adult life, my world revolved around my family and Tatia. I was forever putting myself last. It wasn't that I thought bad of myself, I just had my priorities. That was the way my father was, and I suppose the trait was handed down to me.

"Klaus was already of great renown in our village and I grew to have the same reputation after walking about town with him. I returned home to my family, who were astounded, but incredibly thankful, to see I'd made a complete recovery. I continued working in the farm fields to provide for my family, but I found that there would be fresh bread on our table when I returned home. It seemed that, in order to make a good impression on me, the townspeople were helping my family. It was amazing what Klaus's influence could do.

"One day, as I was working out in the field, I saw Tatia walking with Klaus. At first, I thought nothing of it, but when I noticed the way they were acting . . . sneaking around, the way they stood close to each other, I became insanely jealous. I hadn't eaten in nearly two days, so I was already on edge. When I went to Tatia's that night after I finished work, I asked her about her day. She said nothing about Klaus, unaware that I had seen them together. I was shocked. Deceit wasn't in Tatia's nature. She was an innocent, free girl, and suddenly she had changed. I felt sick. I tried to be the better man and give her the benefit of the doubt, but over the next few days, I saw them together more frequently, and Tatia continued to lie about her whereabouts. Finally, I confronted her. I asked her why she'd been sneaking around with Klaus, and tears began falling from her brown eyes. She told me she was in love with him, that she never meant to hurt me, but she'd moved on.

* * *

_"Moved on? Tatia, I was gone for three days! I told you I loved you!"_

_ "Elijah, I'm so sorry. But what Klaus and I have is just . . . I never meant for it to be like this!"_

_ "Like what, Tatia? You never meant for me to find out? You wanted to continue lying to me, going behind my back? This isn't like you! What's he done to you, because I swear I'll kill him!"_

_ "That won't be necessary," said Klaus, sauntering into Tatia's house. "Now, let's all calm down, shall we?"_

_ Elijah rounded on Klaus. "You! You're sick! You knew I loved her, but you took advantage of my absence so you could see what she was like!"_

_ "Stop it, both of you!" cried Tatia, trying to push her way in between the two vampires. _

_ "Elijah, think before you act. I'm far older than you, and I'm much stronger. Don't do something you'll regret!"_

_ Elijah laughed. "I sure as hell won't regret this!" he snarled, lunging at Klaus, who caught Elijah's head in his hands and once again snapped his neck._

_ "Klaus! What have you done?" Tatia cried, sinking to the floor next to Elijah's crumpled body._

_ "Don't worry, love. He'll be just fine . . . . In an hour or two, that is."_

* * *

"When I did wake up, I was alone in Tatia's house. I got up and hurried to Klaus's, hoping that they were there. It felt like my world was crashing down around me. I had envisioned spending the rest of my life with this woman, even if it meant turning her, and here she was, dallying with the vampire who sired me. All I knew was that I wanted to fight, and if he wasn't there, I would leave town. When I arrived, there was no one to be seen, so I gathered my things and left."

"Where did you go?" asked Shiloh, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Spain."


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

"Spain?" asked Shiloh interestedly. "What did you do in Spain?"

"I spent one hundred years in Spain, moving from city to city, staying for indefinite amounts of time. I used the time to my advantage, working on controlling my bloodlust and finding ways to feed without killing. For a time, I tried living on only animal blood, but I found that the more I drank from animals, the stronger my need for human blood was. The only way I could remain sane was not allowing myself to kill, so I took only what I needed and compelled the human to forget me completely. It was the most humane way I knew and I stuck with it. I can't imagine what my life would be like if I had stayed with Klaus. He doesn't believe in the 'snatch-eat-erase' method. He believes that we vampires are like gods and that humans are underlings who deserve to be taken advantage of. I'd like to think that I would have broken away from Klaus at some point, but I'm rather glad that it turned out this way.

"While in Spain, I also searched for others of my kind. I hadn't seen Klaus since I left England, and I certainly had no desire to. As a vampire, I had the new-found ability to hold on to emotions, whether they were happiness, anger, or grief, and this allowed me to fuel my hatred of Klaus over the centuries. I didn't come across any others and I was becoming disheartened, coming close to believing that we were the only ones of our kind. When I left Spain, I went to Paris, and that was where I found Slater and Rose."

* * *

_Elijah walked down the dark alley, having nearly abandoned the search for others of his kind. Truth be told, he wasn't even looking anymore. If another vampire happened to cross his path, so be it, but he was damned if he'd spend his eternity-long existence looking for more vampires. _

_ It was in this dark alleyway that his century's worth of searching came to an end. As he crossed underneath a stone bridge, cut off from the moonlight, a figure clad in black emerged from the alley a hundred yards from the bridge. Elijah halted and assessed the woman. She was wearing all black, her hair cropped surprisingly short. Her high heeled boots went to her knees and she stood with a certain swagger that warned Elijah that she was not to be taken lightly. When he took a step forward, she did too, matching his movements precisely. With each step he took, they came closer until they were face to face._

_ Elijah smiled cordially and bowed, kissing the woman's hand in a gesture of politeness. When he released her hand, it flew to his throat and she pushed him back under the bridge and threw him against the wall, all in less than a second. The breath flew out of him as he hit the bricks and the woman hissed at him, and Elijah was astounded to see her eyes darken and fangs protrude._

_ "You're a vampire!" he managed to choke out as her grip on his throat tightened._

_ "Rose-Marie!" came a voice and the woman immediately released Elijah. He caught his breath as a man in a black cloak sauntered forward. "What have I told you about attacking guests?" His accent was distinctly British._

_ "I was unaware this . . . _child . . . _was your guest," said the woman in a throaty French accent._

_ "Child?" repeated Elijah, irritated by the negative connotation she had put on the word._

_ "Rose was merely referring to your lack of strength and training. I wouldn't put you at more than a century old, am I correct?" said the man, now close enough for Elijah to touch._

_ "I was turned 1360, at twenty years old," Elijah said proudly. _

_ The man bit back a laugh. "One hundred eleven," he grinned. "You really are a baby, aren't you?"_

_ "I'm not sure I understand, sir. How old are you?"_

_ "'Sir' was my father. Please call me Slater. I was turned in the year 998, and I turned Rose in 1122. I daresay we both have a few years on you. What's your name?"_

_ "Elijah," he said simply, offering Slater his hand. He was unsure if he should be frightened or offended by Slater's comments._

_ When they shook hands, Elijah thanked his heightened senses, even though he wasn't sure he'd actually seen it, for catching the jealous glint in Rose's eye. Her expression was unwelcoming and violent. Elijah made a mental note to watch his back around her._

* * *

"Forgive me for interrupting, but whatever became of Tatia?" asked Shiloh.

Elijah sighed. "She died soon after I left England. I firmly believe that she loved Klaus and he loved her, though he would not care to admit it. Klaus thinks that love is a vampire's greatest weakness."

"That's a grim outlook on life – or eternity," Shiloh commented. "I can't imagine not _loving._"

"Neither can I," chuckled Elijah. "Tatia offered blood to Klaus and he wasn't able to control himself. He drained her to the point of death and wasn't able to revive her. She was already gone."

"I'm sorry," Shiloh said quietly.

Elijah wanted to tell her that he never really loved Tatia, that it didn't matter, but he could do was thank her. He had loved Tatia and when he learned of not only her death, but the way in which she died, he had been heartbroken. Of course, there was nothing he could have done, but, perhaps by his very nature, Elijah felt guilty. If he hadn't left Tatia, if he had challenged Klaus, maybe he could have prevented her death. If there was one thing Elijah had learned, though, it was to live in the present. There was no use in berating himself about things that happened centuries ago.

Elijah was thinking hard when he heard Shiloh say something.

"I'm sorry," he said with a halfhearted smile. "What was that?"

Shiloh smiled at him in sympathy. "I asked if you stayed with Slater and Rose or if you went somewhere else."

"The fifty years I spent in Paris with Slater and Rose were probably some of the best years of my existence, but, in a way, they were also the worst. Slater owned a very popular theatre in the very center of Paris. He didn't act, but Rose did, and she wrote the scripts and hired the actors in addition to being an actress herself. The subject matter of her plays were quite comical – to us, anyway. The actors were all vampires that lived with Slater and Rose underground, beneath the theatre. They were vampires pretending to be actors pretending to be vampires. Quite ingenious, really. Each night, they put on a play where they would take a whore from the Parisian streets and offer her up as sacrifice for Slater, who emerged at the end of the show. Of course, the audience believed that it was all an act, when in truth, they really did drain the woman onstage, right in front of the audience."

Shiloh was unsure of what to say. "How . . . _interesting._"

Elijah smiled at her. "Shiloh, don't be afraid to speak your mind. I don't expect you to agree with all my choices or views as a vampire. I'm more than open to hearing what you think about things. I'm not going to . . .," Elijah leaned forward confidentially and Shiloh scooted her chair closer to the table so she could hear him, "eat you."

Shiloh laughed openly at that, and Elijah was glad that he was able to put her at ease. "Sorry," she said, covering her mouth self-consciously.

Elijah marveled at her. "I forgot how long it's been since I heard someone laugh like that."

Shiloh's smile left and was replaced by a pitying expression. "It must be hard," she said, "outliving everyone you know."

"It's certainly not ideal, but I don't despise what I am like some of my kind. I'm thankful for the chance to better myself, to learn more, to become wiser. It's not often that one gets to live for nearly a millennium. Watching your loved ones die as you stay the same age is part of being a vampire, and I accept that. After a while, the pain dulls and you remember how to live again."


End file.
